2021 Mayor's Citizen Recognition Awards Recipients
This recognition will be awarded to a deserving citizen who has made a significant contribution in making this City a better place in which to live. These individuals and groups in our community are the people who make our city and the lives of those around us just a little bit better.
This year's awards were presented to:
Sister Teresa Currie
Sister Teresa Currie’s singular desire throughout life has been to help the less fortunate. Sister Teresa joined the Sisters of St. Martha in 1952. During that time, she served as coordinator of pastoral services at St. Pius X Parish in Charlottetown while also carrying our group and individual counselling sessions with young incarcerated persons. Coupled with her missionary services, Sister Teresa committed her life to the prison ministry. Educated at St. Pauls University, Ottawa, Ottawa University, and McGill University, her commitment to serving others was the focus of not only her personal life but also her education. She played an integral role in training chaplains, volunteers and students working in the correctional system and had a major influence in developing several preventative programs.
Sterling “Stu” MacFadyen
Stu MacFadyen has spent his entire career as an educator and a community builder, always prioritizing public service. Stu was recognized for his work in education at Prince Street School, his care and support for youth during your thirty years of work at the Simmons Sports Centre, and his contribution to this city as a City Councillor and Deputy Mayor. Stu has been on the frontline of enacting change and supporting residents, youth, and the city as a whole. Even in retirement, Stu continues to remain an active volunteer and community builder.
Brooks Roche
Brooks Roche has been striving to make the community a better place for everyone. Since the age of 9, he has volunteered and been involved in several community groups which have made a tremendous impact on our community. Being diagnosed with type-1 diabetes at the young age of 3, Brooks continues to be highly invested in policy change, fighting for access to insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, as these can take a massive financial toll on many families in our region. In more recent years, Brooks was appointed to the Prime Minister’s youth council in 2019 and has used this platform to learn, educate the public and contribute to concrete change nationwide. Brooks contributed meaningfully to the establishment of Bill C-237, which is an Act to establish a national framework for diabetes and a commitment of $35 million in the 2021 federal budget for a national diabetes strategy and research.
Mayor and Council invite the public to nominate deserving individuals who reside in the City of Charlottetown to be considered for the award of Forbes Kennedy Volunteer of the Year. A volunteer is defined as someone who volunteers a significant amount of unpaid hours.
This year's award was presented to:
Rick Callaghan
Rick Callaghan has been a volunteer for the past 40 plus year with sports, including T-ball, basketball, and soccer. This fall Rick will be entering his 38th year as the Volunteer coach of the Parks and Recreation Departments Mini Basketball program. Over the course of 37 years, many youths in grades 1 through 4 have learned the fundamentals of basketball and have had a lot of fun doing so. In the past Rick has been a volunteer within the local soccer association and has served as a volunteer on the Gold Cup Parade committee for ten years. Rick is able to find time in the summer to get a few rounds of golf in (sometimes twice a day). He has also helped to organize golf tournaments during the summer which help to raise money for local charities.